From the BMW E30 M3 to the Clio Williams, Hagerty UK says homologation specials from the 1980s and ‘90s are undergoing significant increases in value according to the company’s latest price guide.
“The 1980s and ‘90s were decades that divided opinion,” the company reports. “Were they absolutely fabulous, or do we look back at our youthful years with a sense of misguided nostalgia? For petrolheads, though, one thing is beyond doubt: this was the era of some of the best motorsport ever seen.
“While the regulations may have changed, one thing remained constant: proposed competition cars required a road-going version for homologation purposes. This spawned some of the most stripped-out, turbocharged, box-arched cars ever to hit Britain’s roads. These cars are reportedly in great demand amongst the 45- to 65-year-old audience, and the most recent update of the Hagerty Price Guide shows their attraction has translated into rising prices.”
“Hagerty Price Guide values of many high-performance 1980s and ’90s modern classics have been rising quickly,” noted John Mayhead, Hagerty’s head of automotive intelligence for the UK. “We spotted a trend: that homologated cars seem to be very attractive to buyers at present. Hagerty believes that the combination of low production numbers, high performance and solid motorsport credentials gives these cars exactly what the market wants.”
For example, the Lancia Delta Evo II commands £95,800 ($131,600), Hagerty notes, while average values of the BMW E30 M3 Evo II recently have climbed from £57,575 ($79,100) to ($89,960), and the best examples of the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth are commanding £75,000 ($103,040).
Another “significant riser,” according to Hagerty, is the Audi Quattro Sport. Just “12 months ago, an ‘excellent’ example of this shortened, box-arched Group-B homologation special had a value of £265,000 ($364,060),” the company reported. “Today, Hagerty’s value is £284,000 ($390,165) and the very top, concours examples are valued at up to £404,000 ($555,025).”
And while you can still buy a Clio Williams for less than £10,000 ($13,740), Hagerty reports ‘excellent’ examples are £18,100 ($24,730) and the Williams-tweaked Renault, of which 3,800 were produced, has risen an average of £5,700 ($7,830) in the past year.
